Sunday, 28 December 2014

The Nutcracker, English National Ballet, London Coliseum - reviewed on 23rd December

English National Ballet has performed The Nutcracker every Christmas for the last 65 years. Its current
version, choreographed by former company director Wayne Eagling, is a seasonal delight,
combining Edwardian traditionalism, a clear narrative and sparkling choreography.

Photo: Photography by ASH

﻿

The story commences with a family party on Christmas eve, in
which young girl Clara is given a nutcracker doll. Later, she dreams the doll
comes to life, battles an army of mice and travels with her to a life-size puppet theatre
where there are dance performances from around the world. Cleverly, Eagling gives
this dream sequence a clear context as Clara’s brother hides a toy mouse in her
bedroom at the beginning of the ballet and the Act I party includes a puppet
show.

English National Ballet is on excellent form this season,
with great performances from all the cast. Cesar Corrales shines particularly in
the Russian dance with his effortless spins and sky-high leaps. As the Sugar
Plum Fairy, Laurretta Summerscales looks serene and confident, demonstrating great
acting ability during the battle scenes and some remarkably rapid fouetté turns. Recent company joiner Alejandro
Virelles also excels with his jumps and secure partnering.

The Nutcracker is,
for me, an essential part of Christmas, and English National Ballet’s
production provides plenty of festive spirit.

Friday, 26 December 2014

In the latest instalment of my ballet steps series, I discuss développés, which involve a sustained unfolding action of the leg. Starting in a closed standing position (usually 5th), one leg is lifted upwards, with the toe maintaining contact with the supporting leg, into retiré position, before extending into the air.

Développés can be performed in all three directions (front, side and back) with a wide variety of arm positions and head alignments, but the working leg always goes through retiré position (with the toe by the side, in front of or behind the supporting knee, depending on the particular ballet style) before extending. The extended position may be either an attitude or fully stretched leg. In the latter case, développés to the back finish in arabesque position.

Développés are typically performed at the barre and in the
centre as part of adage exercises. Whilst professional dancers may lift their
legs above head height, young students should aim for a 45-90 degree angle, ensuring
the développé action is fluid and that the leg is turned out. A typical basic
développé exercise at the barre would involve développés in all three
directions, each time followed by lowering the leg into tendu position and then
closing back to a standing position. Royal Ballet dancer Romany Padjak
demonstrates a slightly more advanced développé exercise below:

There are different schools of thought regarding the
movement of the working hip during a développé. In English technique, the hip
is usually kept down, as close to its starting position as possible. In other
ballet styles, the working hip may be more noticeably lifted as the working
leg is extended. Depending of the height of the leg, the alignment of the body may also
have to adjust - either forwards or sideways depending on the développé
direction - but such adjustment should be kept to a minimum.

Développés are performed in numerous ballets. In the grand pas de deux of The Nutcracker, the Sugar Plum Fairy steps onto pointe, takes the Prince's hand and performs a développé to the front. Développés are also used in other dance styles. In Cats the musical, for example, Victoria (the white cat) has a développé to the side in her Act I solo.

Monday, 22 December 2014

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1981 musical has a strange story – of cats gathering for an annual ball to decide which of them will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn. But this strangeness aside, Cats is a great musical with catchy songs and utterly brilliant choreography by Gillian Lynne.

The London cast – headed by pop star Nicole Scherzinger – is on good form, impressing particularly in group dance numbers. As the characters’ human-like personalities – from burglar Mungojerrie to former glamour cat Grisabella – are introduced, it’s hard not to warm to their feline charm, and I haven’t been able to stop humming ‘Old Deuteronomy’ and ‘Jellicle Ball’ since.

Thursday, 18 December 2014

How did Matthew Bourne, a boy from East London, become such
a celebrated choreographer? “It was always there” answered Bourne, to this huge
opening question at Danceworks’ In Conversation evening. “From the age of four
or five I went to see Disney movies and then tried to recreate them at home
with other kids. I was usually the star, and my brother was often dressed as a
woman to be my leading lady!”

Matthew Bourne
Photo: Hugo Glendinning

Bourne’s parents introduced him to musical theatre and film at
a young age, but he didn’t discover ballet and contemporary dance until his
late teens. After leaving school, he worked in a box office, as a theatre usher
and in the National Theatre bookshop. His first experience of ballet was seeing
Scottish Ballet’s Swan Lake at the
age of 18 or 19: “I was surprised at how the swans moved. I expected them to
be ethereal but they moved very quickly. I thought it was odd and eccentric,
but I loved the music. I wanted to see another Swan Lake as soon as possible, so I went to see the National Ballet
of Canada’s version later that week. It was eye-opening how different the same
ballet could be in different productions.”

After that, Bourne started seeing ballet and dance several
times a week, as well as reading widely about the subject. At the age of 22, he
applied to train at Laban and believes he was offered a place not on the basis
of his audition (as he had no practical dance experience) but because of his
enthusiasm in the interview. He studied on Laban’s three year degree course,
focusing on choreography and dance history, and then joined Laban’s touring
company, Transitions, for a fourth year.

After graduating in 1987, Bourne set up a dance company,
Adventures in Motion Pictures, with some fellow students. It was funded
initially through an Arts Council Encouragement Grant and weekly government
enterprise allowances for people setting up new businesses. The company still
exists today, under a slightly different name, as Bourne’s hugely successful
New Adventures.

Bourne currently spends most of his time reviving (and
revising) his existing works and only creates new pieces every 3-4 years. He
has lots of ideas but always likes to create something that can be summed up in
one short sentence, such as ‘Cinderella
during the Blitz’ or ‘Swan Lake with
male swans’. He can’t choose his favourite choreography as his works are like
his children and are all special for different reasons.

Other choreographers Bourne enjoys watching are Mark Morris,
Pina Bausch and Frederick Ashton. About the latter, Bourne described: “His
works touch me. I get in a lovely place when I watch them. I love the variety –
abstract, narrative, humour, full-length, cabaret-style.”

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿

Despite his own focus on narrative works, Bourne tends to
appreciate the more abstract choreography of others. When he does watch
narrative dance, he gets frustrated when the storyline isn’t clearly conveyed. “You
should be able to see the story onstage without reading it beforehand. You wouldn’t
read the synopsis of a movie before you went to the cinema."

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake
Photo: Bill Cooper

Bourne regularly receives CVs from dancers who want to join
his company, but he only holds auditions once a year. “Anyone whose letter starts
with ‘dear Sir’ goes straight onto the ‘no’ pile. I’m looking for dancers who
want to work with me and perform my choreography. If a dancer says ‘I love your
work’, they’re half way there!

“During auditions, I’m considering whether dancers can do
the rep and if they show passion. Politeness also goes along way. I need
dancers who can work well together as they’ll be rehearsing and touring for
long periods. So I look at how dancers get along with each other.”

Bourne reads reviews of his work, but only pays attention to
the critics who generally like his style of choreography. He finds, however,
that positive reviews have a limited effect on box office success. In contrast,
his company recently invited celebrities to attend and tweet about Edward Scissorhands,and ticket sales doubled the next day.

Bourne finished by speaking about his future plans for New
Adventures. In 2015, the company is touring both nationally and internationally.
Bourne is also starting to think about his next creation, which may be a version
of the famous 1948 ballet film, The Red
Shoes…

Monday, 15 December 2014

“Pretend you’re
a five year old” Arthur Pita recommended when I spoke to him before
a performance of his latest work, The Little Match Girl. But such a young mindset
was unnecessary. Whilst his choreography is evidently intended for children, there
is plenty to like as an adult too.

In the
intimacy of the Lilian Baylis Studio Theatre, five dancers and musicians
excel in his adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s famous story. In the
freezing cold winter (powerfully conveyed by Pita’s movements and Yann Seabra’s sets), an
impoverished young girl tries desperately to sell some matches, before being
beaten up and having her shoes stolen by a rival seller. Colder than ever and taunted
by three wealthy residents enjoying a luxurious feast, the Match Girl sets fire
to their house and then runs away to curl up by her grandmother’s grave. As she dies,
her grandmother appears and helps her climb to the moon where she uses her
matches to light the night stars.

Photo: Phil Conrad

The piece is
extremely well done, with a combination of dance, song and speech (in Italian)
that perfectly expresses the characters’ personalities and the hardship of the Match
Girl. That is, with the exception of one very surreal scene in which the Match
Girl arrives on the moon and dances with an astronaut. This bizarre interlude
ruined the beautiful and emotional moment preceding it, in which the Match Girl
lay dead in the snow, and should undoubtedly be cut.

This aside,
The Little Match Girl is an excellent work with brilliant performances by all
of the cast but especially the sprightly Corey Claire Annand in the title role. It's a sad tale for the festive season but one that captivates.﻿﻿

Friday, 12 December 2014

At Ballet Black’s insight event in the Royal Opera House’s
Clore Studio, Mark Bruce guided dancers through The Second Coming, his creation for the company’s 2015 mixed
programme. Having last worked with the dancers in July, Bruce spent most of the
evening asking them to perform and then trying to recall his original thought
processes, focusing on the transitions between steps.

Bruce and Ballet Black Artistic Director Cassa Pancho also
chatted about The Second Coming.
Pancho commissioned a 30-40 minute narrative piece after seeing Bruce’s Dracula on tour last year. “It’s a
narrative ballet in the broadest possible terms,” explained Bruce. “There’s a
narrative that you can follow but it’s my work, so it’s dark, surreal and
strange.

“I’d been reading old myths and the Grimm brothers’ fairy
tales and was interested in the idea of someone who’s crucified and comes back
after 2000 years. He would be pretty annoyed. There’s a wicked king in charge –
maybe he’s the devil – and imagery of Mary Magdalene. The person who comes back
could be the king’s lost son. He falls in love and has to make a choice. If it’s
the wrong choice, he turns into a monster.

“That doesn’t make any sense, does it? But the Grimm fairy
tales don’t make any sense either. The ballet has a general narrative and a philosophical
narrative and I don’t want to share too much.”

After this frustratingly cryptic introduction, it will be
interesting to see if Bruce’s work makes more sense once it’s on the Linbury
Studio Theatre stage in February.

Wednesday, 3 December 2014

At the Lilian Baylis Studio Theatre last week, Beauty and the Beast wasn't as successful as Ballet Cymru's other works - like Little Red Riding Hood and Romeo and Juliet - that have been programmed at the same venue. It commenced charmingly, with words appearing on the backdrop as movement patterns rippled through ten dancers onstage in front. "Children believe what we tell them" the audience was reminded, with further text encouraging us to use our imagination. "It always begins with a child's 'open sesame'. Once upon a time..."

Whilst the ballet was well-performed, it has two main issues. The first is David Westcott'sscore, which is so melodic that it is completely at odds with the more dramatic passages of choreography. For example, When Belle enters the Beast's castle, music is almost lullaby-like in its lyricism, such that there is no sense of impending menace or the character's fear.

Secondly, Beauty and the Beast's narrative is difficult to follow. Darius James's choreography gives a clear identity to the leading roles, but secondary characters are poorly-defined. The Beast also lacks impact in his movements, which are impaired by visually effective but choreographically restrictive stilt-like hooves.

The ballet has some lovely moments. As the Beast nears death and Belle rushes through the forest to see him, two female dancers are lifted in deep backbends to form an archway under which she travels. Projections work well to set each scene, and there's a delightful interaction between them and the live action onstage when a dancer seemingly uses a match to light the backdrop's fireplace. Beauty and the Beast also has a joyous finale, with streams of dancers leaping across the stage, although it's a shame there's isn't a final romantic pas de deux for the title characters.

Even though I was underwhelmed by this production, Ballet Cymru is still a company I greatly admire, and one that deserves to fly the metaphorical flag for high-quality ballet in Wales.